Fair competition on Main Street

Over the past 10 years, more than 50,000 retail jobs have been lost in Indiana according to the Department of Workforce Development. Ask any local shop owner and they will tell you how difficult it is to compete in today's economy. Unfortunately, the unlevel playing field that exists between brick-and-mortar retailers and online-only retailers makes it even more difficult for Hoosier shopkeepers to keep their doors open.

Online-only retailers such as Amazon.com don't have to collect Indiana's 7 percent sales tax on Indiana purchases, giving them a distinct price advantage over Main Street businesses. Although a deal was struck with Amazon earlier this year that would require them to collect the sales tax on Indiana purchases starting Jan. 1, 2014, that will be too late for many Hoosier businesses.

That is why I will carry legislation to move up the effective date of the deal to July 1, 2013.

Amazon argued they needed two full years to implement sales tax collection procedures, but since then they have cut deals in four other states - Texas, Pennsylvania, Arizona and New Jersey - with earlier effective dates. Despite the claims made in your recent editorial, it's clear that Amazon is the party that failed to live up to their word.

Moving up the effective date by six months will result in an additional $40 million in state coffers . More importantly, it will allow Hoosier retailers to compete on a level playing field during the back-to-school and holiday shopping seasons.

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Fair competition on Main Street

TOM DERMODY State Representative, R-LaPorte Over the past 10 years, more than 50,000 retail jobs have been lost in Indiana according to the Department of Workforce Development.